Recently: Parliament erected a fake Christmas tree with no lights to avoid any fire risk, and took off the angel to avoid offending non-Christians. The Mosgiel Business Association decided lolly scrambles were too dangerous for its festival because children might be hurt. Marlborough Girls College allowed students to wear large greenstone carving necklaces, but not to openly wear crosses.

Are we really becoming too politically correct? The answer, well, is yes. If asked to describe our increasing political correctness I would liken it to a gradual acceleration towards a very sturdy cement wall.

And, so far the evidence speaks for itself. If we continue down the path of political correctness, we run the risk of becoming a society based not on free speech and commonsense but on politically correct ideals. Who knows where that might lead?

We hear about `PC' all the time, but where did it actually...